- By Dan Veaner
- News
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Mark Lewis (left) and Larry Larence both leave in August
{styleboxjp width=250px,float=right}Farewell to Deb Pichette
Elementary School Microcomputer Specialist Nancy Raza read this letter at last week's school board meeting, to bid farewell to Director of Curriculum Deborah Pichette:
"I'll be entering my 15th year at the school district, and I have something I would like to end this year with. It's for my boss, who has taken over the Technology Department this year.
"She has a habit of making us be accountable. So we write her a letter on Monday to say what we're planning to do, and on Fridays what we have accomplished. So I have a letter:
"Dear Deborah,
"If a picture can say a thousand words, then may these words paint a picture.
"Dedicated: We could not get a secretary approved for you, so you did it all yourself. The typing, copying, envelope stuffing, and mailing. The only evidence that you had a desk, since the wood was not near visible, was seen in stacks of paper you hauled back and forth to work.
"Why back and forth? Because you continued long into the evenings in order to accomplish the tasks at hand in a very timely manner.
"Accountable: There were problems getting information through our e-mail system, so you launched Lansing into our current global aps for education, a giant step in the right direction, making sure that faculty and staff communication and information sharing was not hindered from work or home.
Deb Pichette
"We needed this and other things. Where was the money? You took tireless trips to executive and administrative meetings near and far, yes even to Albany, and did not stop until the monies were accounted for.
"Diligence: Because of this diligence we are in the process of building our new IT infrastructure. Our current network was in crisis. You were the only one with enough drive to put us in gear for improvements. Thank you.
"Vision: It must have been during the wee hours of the morning that you said to yourself that even though you had enough work to last until the next decade, let's go for it. Somehow between that inspiration and now, we have an outstanding and wonderfully furnished Lansing/Groton Teacher Center. And the Mike Nozzolio Conference Center speaks highly of what has already taken place in regard to excellence in teacher training.
"Equitable: When others said to be fair was to split the goods equally between clients, you stepped back and distributed more to those who were lacking in order to bring each client to 100%. That is equity with wisdom.
"Integrity: Despite discouraging, degrading, and hurtful words against your many titles at Lansing, you maintained a glowing and friendly presence in our buildings and relationships.
"The Lansing Central School District is losing an admirable administrator, mentor, and friend. The leaps and bounds that we have come this past year through your tireless contribution will neither be resented nor forgotten. The old proverb says 'You don't miss your water 'till your well runs dry' will surely echo in retrospect. Deborah, thanks for a wonderful year."
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Pichette started at the Union Endicott School District Thursday (7/19). Her year at Lansing was rocky as some in the district continually challenged her position. While most people seemed to recognize that she personally was excellent, her job was constantly challenged publicly by school community members who charged the administration was top heavy.
But Pichette worked tirelessly to bring a teacher center to Lansing for improved professional development for Lansing and Groton teachers, and not only took over the Technology Department, but actively fought to build both the department and a failing network infrastructure to address desperate district technology needs. "It seems like yesterday we walked in the door here," said Lewis. "There are countless changes that were wrought by her tireless energy. I, for one, will miss you. Our loss is Union Endicott's gain."
With new school board members David Dittman and Michael Cheatham in place, newly elected board president Tom Keane says that he hopes the board can work together as more of a cohesive unit than it has in the past to support administrators they will now spend the summer searching for. While the board has been comprised of able individuals it has been somewhat dysfunctional as a unit, with the result that school administrators have privately said they feel frustrated and not supported.
The Board Of Education is working on finding an interim Superintendent to maintain the district until a permanent replacement can be found. After several attempts to fill the position using conventional search techniques, Keane advocated an accelerated approach, using a consulting firm to provide final candidates without going through a public search. He argued that this approach could expose Lansing to a better quality pool of candidates, and fill the leadership gap sooner than would be possible pursuing a conventional search.
The board also discussed the issue of confidentiality, noting that even though the names were to be kept confidential until the end of the process that resulted in Lewis being hired, they were not, because so many people were involved. This caused problems for some candidates, while others who may have been well qualified chose not to be considered.
Former Board President Bonita Lindberg asked Lewis how he felt a superintendent working in another district would react if approached to come to Lansing. "It's flattering, for one thing," Lewis replied. "Unless they are 125% committed to their district, they'll listen. Superintendents know that it's a seller's market out there, and they expect to be contacted in a 'stealth' manner."
Martha Laux spoke at length against the expedited approach, arguing that the community should be involved in a more open process. "Anything that smacks of secrecy or stealth rubs me the wrong way," she said. "How will the community know who we're getting? I certainly recognize there are people who have big trust issues in this district."
But Keane argued that a faster process would mean that progress could be made better and sooner with a permanent superintendent. "With an interim superintendent, generally things aren't progressing forward," he said. "As best you can, you're holding your own. If we can get a superintendent in a faster process we can keep building on some of the momentum that's been created over the past year and a half."
He added that community feedback in recent past searches hasn't been consistent or unanimous. "In the end, we have to make that decision," he said. "Even in the previous searches there were some factions of the community that were dissatisfied with our choices, no matter what we did. So let's charge on ahead and say, 'Here's a person we think is the best person for the district. We think they meet our needs and have the ability to build trust. That's what people elected us all to do. That's our job, and let us do it."
 Elementary Principal Chris Pettograsso (right) joins Middle School Principal Jamie Thomas and High School Principal Michelle Stone for her first Lansing School Board meeting. Pettograsso' position has been filled by an interim principal for the past three years. |
Through the past several searches board members have lamented that between the search processes and trying to maintain the district with interims, they have been distracted from the work that a board of education should be doing. The board has twice failed to get a capital project approved, even though most district buildings are failing annual 'walk through' inspections. The first time they withdrew the project before it came to a vote, and the second time it was defeated by only 16 votes. Serious budgetary challenges have not been fully met, resulting in the depletion of contingency funds, a perception of high taxes, and questions about how school taxes are being spent. With the district's three top administrators leaving, the school board will again be distracted from these important challenges.
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